The Accident
by Braelyn Rae
Summary: Set during 1x13. While Sarah and Adam are out looking for Amber, Sarah gets a call— but this time it's not from her daughter, it's from the hospital. Retake on the last quarter of the episode. Drama, comfort, hurt, and all that good stuff. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: The Accident**

**Summary: Set during 1x13. While Sarah and Adam are out looking for Amber, Sarah gets a call—it's not from her daughter, it's from the hospital. Retake on the last quarter of the episode. Drama, comfort, hurt, and all that good stuff.**

**Rating: T, just to be safe. **

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing in regard to this show. **

**A/N: Yet another take on Amber's situation during the season finale. I'm sure more to come in the future. Anyway, enjoy. **

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Amber stared out the window of the semi-truck she had hitched a ride in and mentally shivered. The rain had started an hour ago, thunder and lightening quickly followed in its wake. She leaned against the door, her forehead pressing up against the cold glass window. She blinked rapidly, her tears finding a way down her face, to which she quickly wiped aside with a sniffle. She would not cry in the presence of a stranger. She was tougher than that.

"I'll be stopin' up ahead," announced the driver, Jake, as he pointed to a gas station and rest area.

Amber pushed herself into a sitting position, taking in her surroundings. "Where are we exactly?"

"Gilroy, ma'am." Jake responded, straightening his baseball cap on top of his graying hair. He was old, probably in his late forties. He didn't talk much. In fact, the only words he'd spoken the entire time was in response to her standing on the side of the road, thumbs-up, when he offered her a ride.

Gilroy. Amber wasn't sure how far she was from home, nor did she care. She jumped out of the semi once he pulled to a stop; the rain instantly attacked her short frame. "Thank you!" She hollered above the howling wind. "I don't have any money…"

He waved her off. "Don't worry 'bout it, kid." He gave her a slight, uncomfortable smile. "Now there's a, uh, café place down the road a bit… you be safe now, ya hear?"

"I will," Amber promised with a nod. "Thanks, again."

Without another word, the man turned and walked away.

Amber pulled her already soaked jacket closer to her body and shivered. It was raining hard now, too hard. She sighed and began her walk in the direction Jake had pointed towards. It had been a long day, a long bad day. Her mother's words, her angry, shouting words still stung as they replayed in her head. The lump in her throat hadn't gone away either. She wanted this to be over. She wanted to go home.

She saw lights in the distance and thought it was the café, but the lights were moving towards her. Amber pushed her hair from her eyes, and stepping onto the road, she held up her thumb. The vehicle, a mini-van, began to slow down as its headlights beamed across her shivering frame. She smiled. Maybe she wouldn't have to call her mom. Maybe she could just go home and tell her she needed to cool off and not mention the whole hitchhiking bit.

The van stopped a few feet away. Without thinking, Amber crossed the road, completely oblivious to the fast approaching car coming from the other direction…

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"God, where could she be?"

Adam took his eyes off the road to glance over at his frantic sister. "I'm sure she's fine," he tried to assure for the hundredth time that night. "She's probably with a friend or something."

"Amber doesn't have any friends." Sarah muttered, more to herself than anyone.

"Try calling home again, maybe she—"

"I did, okay? I've called home a dozen times, she's not there." Sarah snapped, then sighed and buried her hands into her face. "I'm sorry, I don't know why—… I'm sorry, you're driving me around, helping me look for her and all I'm doing is yelling at you. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Adam said. "I understand. You're worried. Any parent would be."

Sarah nodded, sniffling back her tears. "I know, it's just… what I said to her… even if we find her I don't—"

"She'll forgive you. She knows you didn't mean it."

"I'm not so sure," Sarah's voice was grim. "Ever since we moved here it seems like that's all we ever do is fight. I yell, she yells, we get over it… but this time she didn't yell back. She looked hurt, Adam. I hurt my daughter."

Adam hesitated, searching for the right words.

"You would never do that." Sarah said solemnly. "You're a great dad, a perfect dad, you would never speak to your child that way."

Adam didn't have time to say anything before Sarah's phone started ringing.

"Amber?" Sarah nearly screamed without checking the caller ID.

"Is that her?"

"Yes, I'm Sarah Braverman." Sarah responded to the voice as she wiped away more tears. "Whom am I speaking to?"

Adam pulled over, parking his car on the side of the road. He glanced at his sister as a horrified expression crossed her face. "Sarah? What is it? What's wrong? Who is that?"

"What happened? Is she okay? Is she hurt?" Sarah ignored his questions, obviously having some of her own. There was a pause. "Yes, okay, yeah, I understand. Which hospital? We're uh… we'll be there as soon as we can. Please, please call me when you know anything. Okay, thank you. Bye."

"Sarah, what's wrong?"

Sarah bit her bottom lip as she turned to her brother, her tears falling freely now. "That was a nurse. She uh, she said Amber's been in—" her voice cracked. "Amber's been in an accident. She's in a hospital, in Gilroy."

"Is she okay? What happened?"

"I don't know," Sarah cried, trying her best to pull herself together and failing miserably. "I don't know, she couldn't tell me. Oh God, Adam!"

Adam quickly leaned over, pulling her into his embrace. "Hey, hey, shh, it's alright. Everything's going to be okay."

"Come on," Sarah said as she pulled away from him a moment later. "We've got to go. I need to see Amber."

"Okay," he used his turn signal before pulling back onto the highway. "I need to call Kristina and let her know what's going on…"

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"She's in a hospital?" Kristina's voice rose with concern as she spoke to her husband. "Oh my God, honey, do you know what happened?"

"_We don't know yet. We're on our way to Gilroy now._"

"Oh my God," she repeated, already searching for her keys and purse. "How's Sarah doing?"

"_Not good._" Adam responded, sounding like he wasn't doing so well himself. "_So, listen, I won't be home tonight. I'll let you know what's going on as soon as we know anything._"

Kristina was dumbfounded. "Um, Gilroy, right? I'll meet you there. I'm closer."

"_Kristina, you don't have to do that. The kids—_"

"Yes, sweetie, I do. She's my niece." Kristina spoke firmly. "The kids will be fine, Haddie can watch Max."

"_Thank you, Kristina. I'll see you soon. I love you._"

"I love you too," she said then quickly hung up.

"What's going on?" Haddie asked from behind her.

Kristina jumped slightly, surprised by her daughter's voice. "Hey, I didn't hear you. Um, that was your dad. Um, apparently there was an accident… Amber's in the hospital."

"Oh my God," Haddie's eyes widened with concern. Any previous hurt feelings or grudges she held against her cousin were lost in that second. "What happened?"

"We don't know." Kristina said as she located her car keys and grabbed her purse. "You're in charge until I get back. Um, Max's routine is on the fridge. I probably won't be back in time for breakfast so you'll have to—"

Haddie interrupted her mom. "I'm going with you."

"Sweetie," Kristina began, slightly taken back. "You need to stay here with Max."

"No. She's my cousin. This mess is partly my fault too." She crossed her arms. "I'm going with you."

Kristina sighed, knowing her daughter was as stubborn as she was. "Okay, go get Max. I'll take him to Grandma's house."

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Hope you liked it. I promise, the more reviews I get the faster I post chapters. So, please review! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for your reviews. :)  
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It was still raining when Kristina pulled the car into the hospital parking lot. She zipped her jacket close before she stepped out into the rain, her umbrella quickly shielding her from nature's elements. She hurried to the other side of the car and Haddie ducked under the umbrella. The two of them made a run for the main entrance.

"Hey Haddie, text your dad for me, will you? Let him know we're here." Kristina asked, shaking off her wet umbrella. "I'm just going to have a talk with the nurses."

Haddie nodded, pulling out her cell phone.

Kristina walked up to the front desk. "Hello, hi, um, my name is Kristina Braverman. I need to see my niece, Amber Holt. Can you tell me where I can find her?"

"Amber Holt," the nurse behind the desk repeated, quickly typing the name into the computer. "Yes, here she is. Um, why don't you take a seat and I'll page her doctor for you?"

"Thank you." Kristina said appreciatively as she turned back to her daughter.

Haddie pocketed her phone and walked towards her mom. "Dad said they're five minutes away," she informed her. "What did the nurse say? How's Amber?"

"She's paging her doctor now." Kristina replied, sitting down in the waiting area.

Haddie did the same. "She didn't tell you how she was?"

"Nope."

"I hope she's okay…"

Kristina nodded, pulling her daughter close. "Me too, sweetie."

They sat in silence until a young man dressed in a white lab coat approached. He wore square black glasses that slid down his nose too far. His auburn hair was close-cut and his features would be considered handsome. "Mrs. Braverman?"

Kristina and Haddie both stood, stepping towards the man who towered over them. "I'm Kristina Braverman," she began. "I'm here about my niece, Amber Holt."

"Yes, I know. My name is Elton Beaumont, I'm Amber's doctor," he said with a slight smile. "Amber is going to be just fine. She's a little shaken up, but she'll live."

"Oh thank God!" Kristina cried in relief.

Haddie grinned. "Can we see her?"

"Yes, in a moment." His tone changed slightly. "First, are Amber's parents here?"

"Her mom is literally minutes away." Kristina assured. "Why? Is something wrong?"

Dr. Beaumont hesitated. "Amber has a minor injury. We will need a guardian to sign the permission forms before we can do the surgery to fix the problem."

"Surgery?" Sarah's rushed voice appeared out of nowhere. "Surgery? What happened? What's wrong?"

"Sarah!" Kristina exclaimed, pulling her sister-in-law for a hug. "It's okay, Amber's fine, she's going to be alright."

"If she's fine why does she need a surgery?" Sarah turned to the doctor, on the brink of tears. "I'm Sarah Braverman, Amber Holt is my daughter. What—"

"Sorry! I had to park the car!" Adam shouted as he ran over to the group, breathless.

Sarah didn't take her eyes of the man in the white coat. "What's wrong with Amber?"

The doctor waited until everyone settled down before he started talking again. "I'm doctor Beaumont, I've taken Amber's case. I just want to assure you that she's fine. She has lots of cuts and bruises, but she's doing great."

"You mentioned surgery…" Sarah said, confused. "How is that fine?"

"Surgery?" Adam repeated, eyes wide.

Doctor Beaumont held up his hands, trying to calm them. "Amber has a depressed cranial fracture that—"

"In English, please." Sarah begged, unable to warp her head around his technical babble.

"Okay, in laymen's terms, um, a part of Amber's skull has been pushed back into her head, putting some pressure on the brain," he said, using his hands to gesture the position of the bone. "The surgery is simple. We use a device, that you could think it as a crochet hook, to pull the bone back into place. There's minimal risk involved."

Sarah's face dropped and her hand flew to her mouth. "Head surgery? You're messing with her skull? Doesn't that imply risk?"

Kristina pulled Haddie close as Adam wrapped a comforting arm around his sister.

"Ma'am, I know it sounds extreme, but it's a fairly simple procedure." He hesitated. "Of course, as with every surgery, there is going to be risks involved."

"What sort of risks?" Adam asked.

Doctor Beaumont smiled kindly. "Anesthesia is always a risk of its own. There is also a slight possibility of damaging the skull more than it already has been. But what we're most concerned about is a possible infection, which would be bad. But like I said, the risks are minimal and the chances of any of that happening are slim."

"But they still could happen." Sarah wanted to know.

"Yes, they still could happen."

There was a pause.

"Can we see her?" Haddie asked, breaking the silence.

The doctor nodded. "Yes, of course. Follow me."

They did. Silence lingered as the family followed the man up the elevator and down a long, white hallway. He pushed open a door and gestured for them to enter.

"She's sleeping right now. We gave her some medication that will have her out for a while," he spoke in a soft voice. "But she should wake up soon."

Sarah was the first to enter the room. She gasped slightly when she saw her daughter's appearance.

"It looks worse than it truly is," Dr. Beaumont promised.

That didn't seem possible. Sarah's eyes filtered across her daughter's skin, covered in bruises, cuts and bandages. One in particular drew her attention. The taped, bloody gauze above Amber's right eye. She held her breath, trying to hold it together.

The rest of them didn't say anything. They didn't need to.

"Here," the doctor said as he handed over a clipboard of papers. "Here's the release forms for the surgery. You and your husband can read over it and let me know if you have any questions."

"Um, we're not married," Adam felt the need to clarify, gesturing to her sister. "She's my sister."

"Oh, I'm sorry, my mistake."

Sarah sniffled, glancing over the paperwork. "When do you need an answer by? I mean, is there a rush or something to get this surgery done?"

"No rush," he reassured. "But the sooner the better." With a slight smile he exited the room.

Sarah handed the papers to her brother. "Here, can you read this? I know it's going to blow over my head."

"Yeah, sure." He accepted them, quickly scanning the first page.

Sarah picked up her daughter's limp hand, a sad smile crossing her face. "Hey beautiful," she greeted teary-eyed. "Mommy's here…"

Haddie moved to the other side of the bed and picked up Amber's other hand, caressing it in hers.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I'm so, so sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you." Sarah cried, stroking a piece of hair from her daughter's face. "Kristina?"

"Yeah?" Kristina moved to Sarah's side.

"Did they tell you what happened?"

Kristina realized she hadn't even asked. "No, they didn't tell me… I'm going to go find the doctor again, okay?"

Sarah nodded. "Thanks."

"Do you need anything? Something to eat? Coffee?"

"Coffee would be awesome, thank you."

Sarah glanced at her daughter. "Haddie, can you help me…?"

"Sure." Haddie released her cousin's hand and followed her mom out of the room.

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That's all for now, folks. More is coming, I promise. In the meantime, please review.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you guys for your reviews, it really does make writing worthwhile. **

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The room was silent, minus a few beeping machines that Amber was hooked up to. Adam sat in the corner reading over the surgery paperwork while Sarah was glued to her daughter's side, begging and praying for her to wake up.

Adam finished his reading and maneuvered to his sister's side. "Hey," he whispered, as though trying not to disturb the sleeping teen. "It looks all good. I would do the surgery."

"Really?" Sarah asked, accepting the clipboard from him.

"Yes, really. Despite all that medical technical talk, it does seem simple enough." He laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Besides, she needs it. Think of it as a broken arm, her skull needs to be popped back into place."

Sarah rolled her eyes at the comparison. "But this isn't an arm, this is her head. There's a difference."

"I know."

The mother sighed, glancing at Amber. "Okay, fine. She needs it." She reached for her purse and fished a pen out. "Man… it's purple, do you think they'll accept it in purple ink?"

Adam chuckled slightly and handed her an expensive looking pen. "Here."

"Thanks." She was about to scrawl her name down when she gasped. "Oh my God… I have to call Seth. He should know."

"The hospital probably already contacted him," Adam said. Looking at her worried expression he quickly added, "but, if it makes you feel better, I'll call him."

Sarah nodded. "It would, thanks."

"M-mom?" A dry, raspy voice asked above a whisper.

Sarah nearly cried when she saw Amber's eyelashes flutter open, revealing her beautiful green eyes. "Hey, baby," she greeted, kissing her cheek. "Oh my God, you had me so worried. Honey, don't ever, ever do that again."

"Sorry," Amber replied, her voice sounding normal now. "I… I didn't—"

"I'm the one who should be sorry," Sarah interrupted. "I shouldn't have said what I did. I didn't mean it… I just, I was mad and embarrassed, and I blamed it all on you."

"'s okay, mom." Amber tried to smile, but the cut across her lips made her wince instead. "Ouch."

Sarah winced with her daughter, hating to see her in pain. "Where did you go? How did this happen, Amber? Did someone do this to you?"

"No," Amber shook her head. "I uh… you told me to think about it. Think beyond… yeah… and I did. And I thought it would be better if… if I wasn't there to cause all the problems."

"Oh, baby…"

"I'm tired, mom." Amber started crying, pausing occasionally to catch her breath as she spoke. "I'm tired of always making mistakes. I'm tired of it always being my fault. I don't know why I did it… why I do these things… but… I—…"

"Shhhh," Sarah pulled her daughter into a hug, tucking the small, bruised head under hers.

Amber didn't stop. "I hate who I am… I'm sorry; I don't mean to make it harder for you. I'm sorry. I just couldn't… I couldn't be another disappointment. Not again."

"Amber, listen to me," Sarah said, crying herself. She moved to be eye-to-eye with her daughter. "You are definitely not a disappointment. I'm sorry if I ever led you to believe that. Sweetie… you're my kid. You're my beautiful little girl. I love you more than anything and it kills me to see you go through this, to hear you say those things. They're not true, okay? You have to know that. It's not true."

Adam turned away as they began to hug and cry again. He glanced towards the door and saw his wife and daughter standing there, coffee in their hands and tears leaking from their eyes. He gave them a slight smile.

"Hey," Kristina said, her words slicing through the emotional atmosphere. "It's good to see you awake, sweetie."

Amber stared at her niece and cousin, taken back by their presence.

"Yeah, we were really worried about you." Haddie began, handing her dad a coffee and moving closer to Amber. "I was really worried about you."

"I'm sorry, Haddie." Amber said, her voice quivering. "I'm really sorry. I messed up…"

"I know," Haddie nodded. "I know… I messed up too. What I said… what I thought… I was wrong. I'm sorry for blaming this whole mess on you."

The two shared a small smile that said more than their words ever would—everything would be okay.

"Not trying to kill the mood here, but, Amber, what happened?" Adam asked, seeming uncomfortable with all the crying women around him.

Amber sniffled, rubbing the back of her hands across her eyes. "I, um, I… I was hitchhiking…"

"Amber!" Sarah exclaimed, fear and shock flashing across her eyes.

"I know, I'm sorry. I know it was dumb, and I know you want to murder me, I'm sorry." She said quickly before continuing with the story. "Some trucker had dropped me off in Gilroy, and I realized I wanted to go home, so, I was going to hitch a ride back…"

"Why didn't you just call me?"

Amber looked at her mom. "My phone was dead, or I would have, I promise." There was a pause.

"Amber," Adam started. "Did someone do this to you?"

She shook her head. "No, um, yeah, I guess, technically. Someone stopped to give me a ride. I was crossing the street, it was raining so hard and the wind was so loud, I didn't hear the other car until it was too late. They tried to break, but…"

"Someone hit you?" Sarah gasped.

"It wasn't there fault," Amber defended. "I didn't look…"

Sarah stared into space for a moment, as though she was taking it all in.

"How do you feel?" Kristina asked, giving her niece a smile. "Are you okay? Are you in pain?"

Amber shook her head. "Not really… I'm just sore and have a headache." She licked her dry lips. "And I'm hungry."

"The doctor said he would be back in a minute, we'll talk to him about getting you something to eat."

Amber smiled back at her aunt. "Thanks." She looked at her mom, who looked pale and ready to strangle someone. "Mom, I'm okay… really. I promise."

Sarah shook her head as she was brought back to reality. "Of course you are. You're my girl. You're tough."

There was a knock on the door before Dr. Beaumont entered, a huge smile plastered across his face. "Amber! It's nice to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

"Good…"

"She said she was still sore and had a headache," Sarah supplied.

"Well that's not uncommon for someone with the injuries you sustained. But in any case, I'll have a nurse help you out with that headache." He smiled again before turning to Sarah. "Miss Braverman, have you had a chance to look over the paperwork?"

"Yes. Here," she quickly signed her name on the papers and handed them to him. "Um, you just need one signature, right?"

He nodded. "Yep, one will do."

"Oh, and, can we get her something to eat?" Kristina remembered to ask.

"I'm afraid not. We have an OR open in about an hour. She can't have food in her stomach when we operate."

"Operate?" Amber asked, confused, but no one seemed to hear her.

"But you're fixing her skull, it has nothing to do with her stomach." Sarah stated, not understanding.

Dr. Beaumont nodded. "That is true, however, the reason for not eating has to do with the anesthesia. It's a precaution, she could probably eat to her heart's content and be fine, but the anesthesia often causes vomiting and while she's sedated she won't have the ability to control where she throws up. We certainly don't want her suffocating on her own vomit, now do we?"

Amber grimaced, completely disgusted.

"Okay, yeah, that sounds reasonable." Sarah agreed. "You said in an hour?"

"Yes. A nurse will be here soon to prep her and we'll head into surgery after that. The procedure should only take about an hour."

"You'll be the one who's doing the surgery, correct?" Adam asked.

Dr. Beaumont nodded. "Yes."

"And do you have much experience with this type of surgery?"

"Adam!" Kristina objected. "I'm sorry, he's—"

"What?" Adam began. "I just want to know if the guy who's going to be messing with my niece's skull has had done this type of thing before! I don't want him poking around there fresh out of medical school with no actual experience."

The doctor smiled understandingly. "Mr. Braverman I assure you I won't be 'poking around' Amber's skull. I can guarantee you I know what I'm doing and your niece will be fine."

"Thank you." Sarah said, reaching to shake his head. "Keep my baby safe."

"I will do my best."

Amber glanced at each of the family members, and before the doctor could walk out of the room, demanded in a annoyed voice: "Will someone please explain who's pokin' around whose skull?"

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I apologize in advance; I'm going out of town tomorrow so I won't be able to post anything until Saturday evening. Anyways, your reviews are always welcome.


	4. Chapter 4

I'm back! Sorry for the delay. And thank you all for the reviews, I love hearing from you guys.

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It was little after two o'clock in the morning; Amber had been in surgery for approximately fifty minutes. After notifying everyone, the rest of the Braverman family had shown up to show their support. Julia, Joel and Sydney had arrived first, with Crosby and Zeek minutes behind.

They camped out in the waiting room. Sydney slept with her arms around her mother's neck and face buried into her chest. Joel was beside Julia, his arm wrapped around his two girls. Crosby sat across from them, rubbing his hands together nervously. Zeek was standing, constantly glancing down the hallway for any sign of the doctor. Haddie's head rested against her father's shoulder as she attempted to fight off sleep. Between Adam and Sarah, Kristina had her arm draped around the scared mother's shoulder, supporting her without words.

A silence lingered throughout the waiting room. Even the other people who sat waiting for loved ones were quiet. The place seemed empty and lifeless.

"But it's not time! It's not time!" A young voice screamed from down the hallway, slicing through the dead silence.

Kristina and Adam quickly rose to their feet as Max, Camille, and Drew appeared at the doorway.

"Max!" Kristina rushed to her screaming son's side. "Max, it's okay…"

The little boy shook his head, his eyes large and hands twitching. "No! It's not time! It's not time!"

Adam knelt beside him. "Buddy, you need to calm down. You need to be quiet, okay?"

"No!" Max shrieked, louder now. "It's not time!"

"Okay, okay, Max," Adam began as he pulled him close, wrapping his arms around him to calm him down. Max stopped screaming, but tried to wiggle out of his dad's grasp and continue to mutter to himself. "Shhhh… it's okay, Max."

"I'm sorry we took so long," Camille apologized as she rushed to her daughter's side. "We had a little issue with Max. How's Amber?"

Sarah let her mom pull her into a hug. "She's in surgery now, she should be out soon."

Drew moved over to his mom, hands in his pocket as he glanced around, unsure what to do or say. "She's going to be okay, mom." He sounded tired and worried.

Sarah pulled her son into the seat beside her and kissed his forehead. "I know she will be, baby."

The family watched as Adam and Kristina calmed Max down and convinced him to lie on the chairs and pretend he was at home. It must have worked because Max soon grew silent.

"Is there anything I can get you?" Camille asked.

Sarah shook her head, gesturing to the cup of coffee in her hand. "I'm on my third cup… but thanks."

"Mom," Drew began hesitantly. "Did someone call dad?"

"Yeah, of course we did, sweetie."

"What did he say? Is he coming?"

Sarah paused, giving him a sad smile. "No, no he's not. He… he had something to do, something came up."

Drew looked down, his face disappointed. "Oh."

"He said he would send some flowers to your sister…" Sarah said in attempt to cheer him up. "And he promised he would call soon. He said something about visiting you kids."

The teenager didn't seem to believe her words anymore than she or the rest of the family did.

"Um, speaking of flowers, maybe we should go get her something from the gift shop." Julia suggested to her husband. "A balloon or a teddy bear… something…"

"Yeah, we could do that." Joel agreed.

"You guys don't have to, really, she'll just be happy that you're here." Sarah assured.

Julia nodded. "I know, but we want to." She glanced at the sleeping child whose body was wrapped around her own. "Maybe later, when Sydney wakes up."

"That's a great idea," Crosby nodded. "We should all get her something… you know, fill the place with balloons and flowers. Put a smile on her face…"

Sarah smiled and had to hold back her laughter at the thought. That is just what her moody, dark, teenaged daughter would want. Get-well balloons and flowers— might as well throw in some rainbows and unicorns while they were at it.

Drew must have been thinking the same thing as he snorted quietly beside her.

"Braverman?" Someone called out.

Sarah quickly stood, with the rest of her family following in seconds. "Yeah? How is she? How's Amber?"

Doctor Beaumont looked over the large crowd, appearing tired and overwhelmed. "You're daughter is just fine, Miss Braverman. The surgery went perfectly. We're going to have to keep her here another twenty-four hours for observation, and after that she'll have to be inactive at least four weeks. That means no sports, no PE, nothing that could disturb her head in any way."

"She'll be really disappointed about that," Drew muttered sarcastically.

The doctor smiled, flashing them his perfect rows of pearly white teeth. "But other than that she'll be fine. Good as new before you know it."

The family, as if on cue, sighed in relief. A round of applause began before high-fives and smiles were shared by all.

"Oh thank you!" Sarah exclaimed as she rushed over to him, pulling him into a hug. "If you weren't my daughter's doctor I think I could just about kiss you."

The doctor laughed, his cheeks turning a shade of pink. "Well, thank you, I suppose… I could hand this case over to someone…?"

Everyone laughed, despite Dr. Beaumont's serious face.

"When can we see her?" Sarah asked.

"You can go to her room now. The anesthesia should wear off soon."

Adam shook the man's hand. "Thank you, again. Thank you for keeping our girl safe."

Sarah nearly beamed at his words. _Our girl_—she really was. Everyone here was related to her. Everyone here cared and loved her. Suddenly her fears and worries seemed stupid. Why had she worried so? Why had she even doubted her choice and moving them to Berkeley? She was home. Her children were home. And home was looking really good right about now.

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Okay, that's it for now. More to come soon. See ya next time. :)


	5. Chapter 5

Wow, thank you all for your many reviews! Because you guys are so awesome, the first thing I did this morning was write this chapter. Hopefully I'll have time to write one for tomorrow as well. Enjoy. :)

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"I think she's awake!"

"Shhhh! Sydney! Be quiet!"

"I can see her eyeballs. She's definitely awake."

"Max, get off her bed! Leave her alone!"

Amber recognized the voices before she could even focus on the faces. Her eyes fell upon her cousins, Max and Sydney, who were quite literally inches away from her face. Sydney was smiling, Max appeared to be studying her.

"Hi…" she said through a false smile. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Mommy told me to watch you so I could tell 'em when you woke up." Sydney said, leaning in she whispered. "I think we used her last nerves."

"You sleep weird." Max said, matter-of-factly.

Amber's eyes widened with amusement. "Is that so?"

"Yes." Max responded, not clarifying what he meant. "Mom, can we get some breakfast now?"

As Sydney and Max scrambled off her bed, Amber glanced around the room, not really paying attention the dozen family members; her eyes were glued to roof where it appeared nearly every balloon in the hospital had managed to find its way to. She blink rapidly, then squinted her eyes, and when she had confirmed she was not crazy, looked at her mother for an explanation. "What the hell?"

"Language!" Sarah muttered, her eyes gesturing towards the younger kids.

"Who…? Did you rob the gift shop?" She looked back at them. "There's like a hundred…"

"Forty-two!" Her family corrected simultaneously.

Amber stared at them, looking a little worried.

"We, uh, we had to count them all…" Adam explained. "Someone couldn't handle being in a room with any more than forty-two. Sorry. Tinkerbell was given to some other kid."

She snickered. "Well, um, thank you guys… that was, uh, really thoughtful. And weird, but thoughtful."

Sarah smiled, moving to her daughter's side. "Aren't they just so cheery and happy-go-lucky?"

"Shut up," Amber whispered between her teeth.

"That false smile doesn't suit you, sweetheart." Sarah whispered back, her grin growing larger as she toyed with her daughter.

Amber rolled her eyes. "Don't expect any witty comebacks from me today. I just had surgery, if you forgot, so I'll be a bit slow."

"You had surgery an hour ago, sleepyhead." Sarah retorted. "Speaking of which, how are you feeling?"

"Fine… tired, sore… hungry…"

"Yeah, that sounds really fine to me." Sarah shook her head.

"Hey, Sarah? We're going to take the kids to get some food; we'll be back in a minute." Kristina said above the screams of Max and the groans of Sydney and Jabbar. "And Amber, it's great to see you awake again."

Amber smiled. "Thanks."

In less than a minute the room was nearly emptied of its occupants, leaving only Sarah, Camille, and Drew at Amber's side.

"Hey…" Drew said after a moment of silence. "You look good… for just getting out of surgery."

"Um, thanks… I think." Amber chuckled slightly.

"I uh… I was worried about you. We all were. Mom drove to Fresno to find you."

Amber looked at her mom, confused. "Why would you do that?"

Sarah shrugged. "Because I thought you'd find your way back to Damian or something. Oh, another speaking of which, we kinda walked in on him and some other girl. She was pretty. I'm not sure how you left things so I didn't like bust him or anything…"

"We broke up," Amber nodded. "Good for him, finding someone."

Camille moved closer to her granddaughter, obviously feeling a little left out in the conversation. "Hey, angel."

"Hi grandma." Amber greeted as the woman pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sure your mom already gave you the scolding of your life, but it's my turn. Don't you ever do that to me or this family, young lady. I'm getting too old for this. No more hospital trips, you got it?"

Amber smiled and nodded. "Got it… so, when can I get out of here anyways? This place is too cheerful and sad at the same time."

"They have to keep you here for twenty-four hours before they can release you," Sarah answered.

"What for? I feel fine."

She shrugged again. "Procedure. They have to keep an eye on you to make sure you don't die or something." She winked. "The doctor said for observation."

"Observation?" Amber repeated, seeming weirded out. "They're going to observe me? Doing what exactly?"

Sarah and her mom chuckled at Amber's response, Drew just hung his head.

"Not for anything creepy, dear," Sarah assured. "You just had head surgery, which is so close to the brain I might even call if brain surgery, but I wouldn't mention that to your friends—they may think you've gone coo-coo and the doctor's had to fix it."

Amber rolled her eyes.

"I called your boss," Drew informed her out of the blew. "I knew you were working today, I let him know what was going on…"

"Thanks, bro."

Sarah smiled. "I didn't even think to do that."

"That's just because you're a horrible mom," Amber retorted sarcastically. She sighed. "Man, I really could have used that money…"

"What for?" Sarah questioned.

"Oh, you know, to buy some drugs and cigarettes… maybe some vodka." She deadpanned. "The thought of it is just so refreshing."

"Oh stop it," Camille hit her playfully as Sarah rolled her eyes.

"There's good news too." Drew piped again. "The doctor said you can't do any kind of PE… you'll have a legitimate excuse to be lazy."

Amber pulled out the pillow from under her head and hit him. "Shush, you."

"Hey!" Sarah exclaimed, pulling the fabric covered fluff away from her. "I think this would be considered strenuous. No more pillow fights for a month."

Amber held up her hands in mock surrender. "Fine. Oh, shucks, that means I can't do dishes on Thursdays either…"

"No, you still have to do that." Sarah laughed.

"So, um…" Amber began, sounding serious. "Will I have a scar?"

Sarah frowned. "I don't know, sweetie…"

There was short pause, then Camille started patting Amber's hand and attempted to make her feel better. "With all the new medicine and stuff they have coming out every day, I'm sure they'll be something to get rid of it."

Amber smiled. "No, I want a scar. It'll make me look tough. Nobody will mess with me now."

Sarah shook her head, grinning. "What is wrong with my kids?"

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Stay tuned—more coming soon! Out of all the chapters so far I think in this one the characters may be a little OC... hopefully not too bad though...


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Firstly, I want to apologize about the wait—this last week has been cRaZy for me. Secondly, thank you all for your fantastic reviews. Enjoy!

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"We're home!" Sarah announced loudly as she turned onto the dirt driveway and parked.

Amber sighed silently. Sluggishly, she opened the door and stepped out of the vehicle. Her grandparents, who had oddly enough stuck together throughout the whole ordeal, and Adam's family, who hadn't even so much as mentioned the former feud between their daughter and her, immediately greeted her. She pasted another smile onto her face, but truth was, she was exhausted. Even though she spent the last two days in the hospital sleeping, she felt like a kid who had stayed up all night and now couldn't catch up on sleep.

"Welcome home!" Her family shouted together.

They swarmed her with hugs and smiles and she let them, feeling more and more ready to make a run for the house to escape all the love. She would admit it; she had enjoyed all the love and concern that oozed from her family at first. People caring for her, people waiting on her hand and foot—being the center of attention in a non-negative sort of way was nice… but now she was tired of it. It was annoying, angering even. She wasn't the type of girl who needed that mushy nonsense, and she definitely had her fill of it to last her a lifetime. Or until tomorrow, whichever came first.

"I'm fine." Amber practically snapped in response to her aunt Kristina's question on how she felt. She caught her mom's eyes and quickly added, "Thank you."

No one seemed to notice how tired she was, how over the whole doting she was. Even Drew, whose spidy senses normally picked up anything, seemed oblivious to her discomfort.

Camille slipped an arm around her shoulders and led her into the house. "Dinner's on the stove, your favorite of course. It's about time we get some real food in you, none of that hospital crap."

"Crosby and Julia said they'd all come by in a bit, so, I don't know, you up for a game of cards?"

"Thanks, uncle Adam, but I'm really tired… I think I'll take a nap…" She didn't make eye contact as she slipped past the bodies of people and went to her room, shutting the door behind her.

Her bed felt like heaven as she flopped onto it, too tired to take off her shoes or pull the covers over. She let her eyes close for a second, and the next thing she knew, someone's hands were shaking her awake.

"Amber get up, dinner's ready and everyone's here."

It was her brother. She wanted to punch him. "Leave me alone, will ya?" Amber asked, turning into her stomach.

He must have surrendered because she heard the door close. She had almost drifted back to sleep again when the door reopened and hands were, yet again, shaking her back into reality.

"Amber, sweetie, it's time to wake up now." This time it was her mom. Punching her might not be such a good idea.

"'m tired." The teenager responded, muffled severely by the pillow underneath.

Sarah smiled. "Honey, you've slept so much these last forty-eight hours I thought you went into hibernation." She shook her shoulders again. "Come on…"

"Fine." Amber grumpily sat up and rubbed her eyes. She saw her brother standing next to her door, tossing a ball back and forth. Her eyes widened as a thought hit her. "Oh my God… we missed Drew's tryouts."

Sarah whipped her head around, looking at her son. "Shit. Shoot, I mean shoot! Drew… I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine." He shrugged as if it were no big deal.

"Maybe it's not too late, maybe someone will drop out and they'll need another player."

Amber nodded. "Yeah, or maybe Uncle Adam could talk to them. He still has an in with that team, maybe they'll give you another chance."

"It's fine," Drew assured again, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "Who wants to play a dumb sport anyways?"

"Sweetie…"

"I'm going to go eat." Drew said as he walked out of the room.

Amber sighed. "I'm sorry, this is all my fault."

"Will you stop apologizing? You're sounding like a broken record." Sarah patted her hand. "Drew will be fine, we'll figure something out."

Amber nodded. "Sure…"

"Anyways, before we go in there and get attacked by family members, I just wanted to give you something." Sarah pulled a box out from her pocket and handed it to her daughter. "It's not much, but…"

Amber smiled as her gaze fell upon the silver charm bracelet. "Thanks."

"I know it doesn't really match all your black, blood, and spikes jewelry you typically wear, but, I just couldn't handle it if something were to happen to you—"

"Mom," Amber interrupted. "I love it."

Sarah waved her off. "Let me finish. I couldn't handle it something happened to you and my last words weren't I love you. If my last words were screams of anger… I couldn't live with myself. So," she wiped away a fallen tear. "As long as you wear this, my last words will always be I love you."

Amber looked at the single charm on the bracelet. The three words etched onto the heart made her smile. Her mom was so cheesy. "Thanks mom."

The mother smiled back and pulled her into a hug. "Have I told you recently how much I love you?"

"Only eighty-nine times before they wheeled me into surgery and a couple dozen times before we came home. I think it's lost its meaning."

"Shut up."

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The end. I hope you've enjoyed this story. I wasn't sure how I was going to end it but I didn't really have the time to continue it. In any case, it's been great to have you as my readers. You guys are awesome. If I write anymore "Parenthood" fics, I hope to hear from you!


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